Sound of Silence
by Fairy'sSoul3579
Summary: Eren is 19, and has just started at Rose college. Levi is 22 and in his third year. As fate would have it, these two individuals meet by chance, as they are partnered for a special music program that they have been assigned to. As they work together, they begin to open up. Two wounded souls healing each other through music, comfort, and love. RATED M FOR A REASON! Eventual lemon(s)
1. Chapter 1

Eren unceremoniously plopped himself into the empty seat next to his best friend Armin, dropping his bag at his own feet and leaning back. He was happy to make it to class before the teacher this time. It would be bad news for him if Mikasa found out that he was late again because he didn't get up on time.

"Rough morning?" Armin asked, a hint of amusement in his voice. Eren looked to his left, giving him a grimacing look that basically explained everything he was thinking without having to open his mouth. Armin gave him and empathetic look and a slight smile in return.

"She rang you out for your attendance again, didn't she?" He questioned. "Yep." Eren closed his eyes and leaned back in his seat with an exasperated sigh. "She thinks that I am not trying hard enough. That I am doing this intentionally!" He begins to rant, and Eren opens his eyes slightly to look at Armin. His eyes are trained on Eren's face, he looked mildly concerned. "It is not my fault, and it's not like I can control them." Eren said under his breath. This seemed to grab Armin's attention, as he sucked in a quick breath.

"You're talking about your nightmares, aren't you?" Armin asks. With a nod of confirmation from Eren, Armin looks down at his feet, pondering what to say next. It didn't seem like he was going to say anything anytime soon, so Eren took the chance he was given to switch the topic.

"So I hear that our class is gonna be apart of an experimental merging program . . ." Armin finally looks him back in the eye. "Eren, why won't you tell me what the dreams are? I could be of more help if you would just tell me what is wrong!" Eren's bangs fall in front of his eyes as he tilts his head down. He couldn't tell him. Armin, his best friend, whom he's known his entire life, and he could not confide his deepest and darkest nightmares to him. It was a wonder that Eren was even still sain. In his mind this was something beyond most people's comprehension, being the person he is, he did not want to burden anyone as well as keep it a secret for his own purposes; and if anyone were to find out what he was struggling with, they may think that he was bat-shit insane. Eren just wants to live his life as normally as possible and immerse himself in his music.

He was suddenly forced to look up when he heard the opening of the door to the classroom. From the doorway emerged his teacher, Mr. Hannes, who overlooks the pop and rock-based music departments. He is what students would like to call a 'cool teacher'; always making pop culture references, telling good jokes, gave little homework, and a bunch of other things as well. He was a very laid back teacher and everyone in his class was okay with him. Soon after entered Mr. Pixis: the head of the classical music department. Mr. Pixis differed greatly from Mr. Hannes, personality wise. For starters, he had a bit of a drinking problem; it is a rare occasion to see Mr. Pixis without some form of alcohol in his possession or on his person. He is also a bit stricter on his students, not that that is always a problem, it just doesn't leave much room for his students to enjoy their music unless they were insanely dedicated or committed. He did however have a good sense of humor. Eren suddenly felt a nudge on his left and leaned towards Armin.

"How do you think this merging is going to work?" Armin whispered. Eren shrugs, his eyes never leaving the two teachers at the front of the class. He himself found himself wondering how this would work out as well. What are they gonna make us do? Are we going to work with the students from the classical music department? Mr. Hannes and Mr. Pixis stood side by side at the front of the class and Mr. Hannes cleared his throat, bringing the students in the room to attention.

"You all have probably heard about the merging program that Mr. Pixis and I are heading, so I will skip the explanation of why and just tell you guys how this is going to work. . ." Mr. Hannes stops for a moment and glances down at a paper in his left hand. " Each one of you will be partnered up with another student from Mr. Pixis' classical music class. The pairs will be decided by random draw, and in your pairs you shall work together and perform three songs together. Your 'shows' shall be given only one grade over all for each performance." Eren quickly looked over to Armin and gave an excited and confused look which was received and returned by the blond.

"My students have already been briefed on all the details of this program, so if there's any confusion and you cannot reach either Mr. Hannes or myself you may refer to them. Also, for the rest of this program, classes will be held in my classroom. We will all be heading over there now for you to meet the other students, get acquainted, and choose your partner." Mr. Pixis quickly stated. He gestures towards the door and everyone stands from their seats.

Mr. Hannes quickly calls out "Be sure to grab whatever instruments you can to move to the other room. Anyone who requires the drum set must come talk to me immediately!"

Mr. Pixis turned on his heels and strided to the door, stopping at the frame to wait for the mass of students to grab their instruments. He slowly slipped his hand into his suit jacket, drawing out a small round flask. Opening it and taking a gulp, he quickly concealed it again within his jacket. Eren went to the far wall on the left where his personal guitar resided. He quickly picked up the case that held his acoustic guitar and joined the group of peers that crowded in front of the door and Mr. Pixis. Said teacher slowly scanned the mass of students before him.

"Alright, this is everyone. Let's get going." turns and walks up the hall to the right, taking a steady pace with the large group following behind. As Eren followed the group, he couldn't help but notice that Armin was nowhere to be found. He is probably talking with . Mr. Pixis rounded a corner to the right and then slid open the first door to his left. The mass of students were ushered in, and Eren followed suit, but not before he heard Armin panting and running up the hall to join him. "Do you know anyone in this class?" Eren whispered. Armin pondered the question for a while, only to give a non communal shrug.

The two entered the large music room in awe. It was similar to their usual classroom, but very different at the same time. For instance, it was twice the size. It was big, open, and organized to perfection. The far wall, across from the door, was left as a huge pane glass window that gave a beautiful view of the school grounds, and a more open feeling to the room. All the instruments organized accordingly along the back walls were well taken care of, all very clean. But what stood out most about the was at the far right corner in the front. There stood two massive grand pianos, side by side, and one was being played. A large group of students, some from the classical music department but mostly the students from the pop and rock department's, crowded around the grand piano closest to the large window. Piano music rang all around the room, a sort of intense and intricate melody. In Eren's perspective, it was almost hypnotic; as if each note was drawing him into some unknown world that was not his own. Eren and Armin planted themselves on the wall space nearest to them and listened to the piano being played so proficiently. Eren's revere did not last long, as something rather large shoved him over into Armin. He quickly looked over with fire in his eyes to see who had shoved him.

"Beat it Jaeger!" There stood Jean, smirking at Eren with his arms folded across his chest in meager triumph. Eren immediately straightened and got in Jeans' face "I'm gonna knock your teeth in Jean, if you don't move!"

"I'd like to see you try!" Jean snickered. "You couldn't even move a pebble if your life depended on it!" Eren was ready to lunge at the arrogant man, but was stopped by Armin grabbing his shoulder.

"Cut it out Jean. You both will get in trouble this time if catches you two fighting, and in a new class setting nonetheless!" Eren slowly backed away, but his eyes never left Jeans', staring him down in challenge.

walked to the crowd of students and dismissed them to their respective areas. Once all students had dispersed, a man of small stature was able to be seen. His crop cut raven hair had a slight sheen to it, and even though he was short, his body seemed well-built and muscular. The man finished his piece , and the room became still as the music and the chatter from the air died down. He stood up and turned to face who stood to his left, shaking his outstretched hand.

"Your piece has turned out beautifully, Levi. You have created a masterpiece." congratulated Levi, and he seemed passive as he received the high praise.

"Now, please go and join your peers, Levi." With that the student walked over to the high-rise of seats and sat in the first seat closest to the window, next to two other students. One with bright blonde hair and thick well-kept eyebrows, Seriously though, those things could turn themselves into caterpillars and crawl off his face, and the second one with dark brown hair pulled back into a messy ponytail and glasses. The one with the glasses stretched across where the blonde one was sitting to say something to Levi, who seemed very disinterested with whatever they were saying. Eren watched the whole scene play before him, but his attention was mostly directed to the ravenette, staring out the large window with a vacant look in his eyes.

and both stood at the front of the room as cleared his throat, calling the room to attention.

"Now then, we will begin by choosing your partners. This will be done randomly, by drawing names. So, alphabetically, we will call up each student from class and each student will draw a piece of paper from this" held up glass fishbowl that had been painted over with black paint. "And for my students, once you hear your name called, you will join your partner and find a place in the room or in the hall to talk, get to know one another, and figure out what you will be doing for your presentations." then stepped forward.

"We will provide each of you a package on your assignment when you come up. Now let's get started." reached behind and grabbed a blue binder, opening it and reading off the names.

"Armin Arlert" Armin stiffened at the calling of his name, and reluctantly went to the front of the class where held the fishbowl out to him. Armin nervously stuck his hand in and quickly pulled out a piece of folded paper. Opening it looked at the sheet announcing the name written on it.

"Erwin Smith" The blonde student who sat beside Levi stood up and walked to the front, shaking hands with a very nervous Armin. Both students received a package of paper from then walked towards the door. Before exiting, Armin glanced over to Eren, and Eren smiled and gave a thumbs up to reassure him.

As kept reading off names it became more clear to Eren that his name was soon to come up. That kid Levi hasn't been picked yet either. Eren glanced over at the ravenette, who was still looking out the window, and just admired him from afar. Keeping in mind that Eren was very aware of his own sexuality. He had known for a while that he found little sexual attraction to girls since he was in his last years of middle school when his friend Mikasa had confessed to him. Finding out that he was gay, however, did not happen until high school. But whatever he felt for this ravenette seemed so much deeper than mere sexual attraction to him. It felt almost like a connection; transcending above all else, and this intrigued the 19-year-old.

"Eren Jaeger" Eren quickly snapped to attention as called his name and pushed himself off the wall he was leaning against, briskly walking to the front of the room. The anxiety of being the center of attention was not lost with Eren, as he could feel his pulse rise and hear the loud thump of his heart in his ears. Every sound was lost as he could only he the loud sound. Standing in front of he could vaguely make out his voice, "Are you alright ?" Eren in response gave a slight nod as he stretched his hand into the fishbowl. His fingers brushed many folded pieces of paper and in a second his hand retracted: a folded piece of paper in hand. He opened and held out the small piece of paper to , who read the name written on it out loud. That name, whether Eren or not, would change the course of his life. Forever.

"Levi Ackerman."

 **A/N: Sup everybody! So this is my first time posting any of my work; and I want to put it out there, that if anybody has any helpful criticism, advice, or just comments on my story and how I could make it any better in its grammar or format I would appreciate it SO very much. :)**

 **Also, just some things that I want to say about this story: first, this idea was slightly influenced by other types of FF that I have read, but also by a lot of modern music lyrics. So this will have quite a few references to songs. Second, I do know exactly where I want this story to go, however, I am pretty slow about figuring out the progression to each of the plot points that I have. In lue of that, my updating will be slow, but I will also make it clear that I am only posting this story because I intend to complete it; so it will get done eventually!**

 **And with that being said I do hope that you will enjoy the rest of the story that is to come! I hope to make the chapter's longer than this one so there will be more covered in the story.**

 **Ciao, Adios, Au revoir, Sayonara, and Goodbye! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello everyone!**

 **First, I want to say thank you so very much to everyone who has written a review, favourited, followed, or simply read my first chapter thus far. I appreciate it more than I could ever hope to express.**

 **As a novice writer, I appreciate all the reviews I recieve; whether they are (or will be) positive or negative, I enjoy reading them. :)**

 **Secondly, I would like to apologise for not updating sooner. I had intended to post this chapter within a month, and with school it is a little difficult to find the time to write. I also did not want to rush too much in writing this chapter. I want to get to the actual progression of Eren and Levi's relationship so I decided to try and put all the 'introductory stuff' into a few chapters, which is the second main reason why this took so long.**

 **So, enough of me yattering, and on with the chapter!**

* * *

Levi stood up, with a blank expression on his face, and walked up beside Eren, facing Mr. Hannes. He took the papers that were handed to him, and then proceeded to hand Eren his stack.

Eren was still caught in a daze as the papers were being shoved into his hands, but he soon snapped out of it as a commanding voice spoke up.

"Come on, Brat." Levi said, "Let's go." He strode towards the door, and Eren scrambled to follow close behind. All around the room whispers were filling the air; people speculating on the pairing, and the fairness of it.

Eren walked quickly behind Levi, attempting to avoid any of the curious or condescending gazes. He could feel an anxiety attack coming on and wanted to get out of there as fast as possible. Soon enough he found himself just around the right corner in a secluded area at the end of the hall. Levi leaned against the far wall with his eyes shut, while Eren stood across from him; arms crossed, eyes glazed over, and shivering.

"Let me be the first to say that I am not happy with this." Levi started out, "I do not like the idea of this program and I do not like working with others. I find it to be a waste of. . ." he finally looked up to see the state that Eren was in and stopped his rant short to analyze the person before him.

"Oi, what's wrong?" Levi looked him carefully, noticing his shaky behaviour. He could not understand why he was acting that way, it was almost as if he had seen a ghost.

"It's nothing, don't worry about it." Eren sputtered out with much effort. Levi glared at him for a few more seconds before he sighed and pushed himself from the wall. He walked forward a few steps until he was in front of Eren, taking in his expression.

His eyes squinted slightly as he focused on the boys' eyes, which were trained on his own. He took in the shade of a light turquoise, _like the open sea in the morning_ , with beautiful emerald green accents. They seemed to mesmerise Levi in their depths, and for a moment, he felt himself lose his angry demeanor.

Eren had noticed the shorter male's cool gray eyes as well, An unusual colour. _You don't see that too often._ And they seemed to hold a fair amount of pain and loss, _Just like me._

The younger shifted on his heels uncomfortably. Levi was so close to his face, he could feel the warmth of his breath gently brush against his skin. _He smells so nice._ His scent grave off a hint of Earl grey and some kind of soap. It was very intoxicating for the young male, and Eren could feel himself lean just the slightest amount forward, making the distance between the two seem so much less. That is, until something clicked in their heads and Levi leaned away as Eren jerked back.

"Anyways; like I was saying, I do not want to participate in this program so If we are going to do this it is going to be on my terms. Got that, Brat?" Levi walked back to the wall and once again perched himself against it, glaring at Eren.

Eren was taken aback by his bluntness. _Well, he has very "straight-to-the-point" and "Cut-the-crap" attitude. Great~. Wait! Did he just call me a brat?!_ As his surprise began to die away, he felt himself become slightly agitated at the man standing in front of him. _It may be best just to do what he says, for now._ Eren attempted to compose himself, as he did not want the ravenette to suspect any of his thoughts from his very exposed emotions.

"Fine then, how do you want to go about this?" Eren asked carefully.

"We'll work at my place. Give me your assignment package." Levi held out his hand towards Eren. Eren stared at Levi's outstretched palm for a moment before relenting over the small stack of papers. Levi accepted the papers and proceeded to pull a pen out from his pocket. He wrote on the lower corner of the first page then handed the stack back to Eren. He looked down to see the address that was written down, noting that it was a fair distance from his dorm but still within his accessibility.

"Be there at 4:30 , and don't be late." Levi walked around him and turned the corner, heading back to the class. Eren stared at the address, lost in thought. _Of all people, I get stuck with the grouch! We are probably going to fail this assignment just because he's got a rod up his ass!_ He finally looked up from his papers to glance behind himself. _This is going to end pretty badly._

* * *

Eren and Armin walked across the rather large quad of their college, heading back to their dorm, all the while Eren was ranting about his partner.

"This guy is something else!" He stated.

"What do you mean he is 'something else'?"  
"He started off our conversation by saying how much he did not want to work with me, then arbitrarily decided that we are going to work on this at his house without even asking if I had plans today or when I am free!" Eren screeched, "He acted like a complete asshole!"

Armin gave him a nervous laugh as the two finally reached the entrance to their dorm. They entered the elevator, pressing the button for the third floor and both leaned on opposite sides of the enclosed space. Eren continued to fume just a little after the elevator stopped, then decided to change the subject.

"So, what was your partner like?" Eren turned to look at his friend as they walked down the hall.

"He was . . ." Armin seemed to stare off into space for a moment, completely tuned out. "He was quite passionate about a few of the idea's I suggested that we do for the project. He was also very calm and composed." Eren studied his best friend a little more closely, assessing his expression. _Why does his face look a little red? DOES ARMIN HAVE A CRUSH ON THE GUY?!_ His thought process left him in shock but he decided not to voice his theory right now.

The two walked in silence to the end of the hall and stopped in front of the last door on the left. Armin pulled out his keys from his pocket and unlocked the door, then stepping inside with Eren right behind him. Both removed their shoes and went to their individual rooms. When Eren entered his room, he set his backpack and guitar case on the floor next to his bed and flopped face first onto the soft mattress. After a little while of hearing Armin shuffle around their shared dorm room, he heard Armin speak up to him.

"What time do you have to go to his place?" Armin spoke loudly, as he was in the small kitchen area.

"4:30!"

"It's 4:20 now, so do you want something small to eat before you leave?" Eren leapt from the comfort of his mattress and grabbed his bag and guitar case once again.

"Nope, I need to catch the next train. I'll see you later!" Eren rushed past Armin and into the hall where their shoes were kept, quickly slipping his on, and ran out the door.

* * *

"Shit, shit, SHIT!" Eren cursed under his breathe as he ran up the street towards the address that was written on the piece of paper he held in his hand. 34 Ragako St. in the Trost District, Apt. 125. _Only one more block to go! Dammit, I am so gonna be late!_ He glanced at the watch on his wrist noting the time. 4:45. Eren turned a corner and ran up the steps of a building. Finally! He tried pulling one of the front doors open but it was locked. Looking to either side he saw an intercom with a large board of the apartment numbers on the left. Eren scanned the list until he found 125, pressing the button next to the number, a little ringing sounded from the open speaker off to the left of the board.

Eren waited patiently as the ringing continued for a few more moments until a voice cut it off.

"What?!" Levi's aggravated tone rang in Eren's ears, causing him to startle slightly.

"I-It's me." A pause, then Levi responded. "You're late!"

A loud buzzing came from the intercom and Eren heard the door click in front of him. He tried to pull it open again, relieved when it yielded outward, and walked inside.  
Eren stood in the lobby, looking at the elevator ahead of him, just now realising that he did not know what floor Levi was on. A feeling of anxious butterflies crept into his stomach, and he started to look around for anything that may help him find the floor number.

To his left was a medley of potted plants and cheap looking pictures; on the right, a guide to the building listing the floors and apartment numbers in ranges. Quickly finding the floor number he needed he hurried over to the elevator and rushing inside as it opened. He pressed the button for the 8th floor and watched the doors close, waiting in the silence.

The elevator dings, and the door slowly slides open. Eren quickly walks down the long hall way, counting the apartment numbers as he passes them. . .119, 121, 122, . . . 125! Made it! He took a moment to compose himself; to steady his heavy breathing, and knocked on the door loudly. The slow shuffling of feet came closer to the door; a few clicks, and the door was opened to reveal an agitated Levi. The feeling of anxiety came rushing back to Eren as he saw the burning glare that belonged to Levi, directed at him.

"It's about time you showed up. I thought I told you not to be late!" Levi's glare did not ease up on Eren, and Eren found himself at a loss for words.

"I-I was . . . Uhm, I missed the train so. . ." Eren managed to squeak out a response; and Levi in return let out a heavy sigh of disappointment and turned to walk back into his apartment.

The younger of the two followed quietly behind, removing his shoes at the entrance hallway, and proceeded into the living room directly ahead. He stood in the middle of the room, unsure of what to do, but took the opportunity to look at the apartment in full.

The living room itself was very spacious and only contained a black upholstered couch with two matching lounge chairs, a large tv screen with the a basic DVD player, and a bookshelf next to that that contained a few movies on the bottom shelf but was heavily occupied by books on the rest of it's space. At the far right of the room was a sliding door that lead out to a balcony that was surrounded by a basic white, metal railing.

Past the living room was the kitchen. All the kitchen appliances were high grade, and even though the appliances themselves were quite large, though they took up only a small amount of the kitchen space. In the centre of the kitchen was a white granite island counter with black, wooden chairs. And from there was the hallway leading to three closed doors. _I guess that must be where Levi's room and bathroom are_. _But what is in that third room?_ Eren pondered that thought for only a moment; noticing that there was one thing that was very notable about the apartment that stood out. Everything was **extremely** clean and well-organized!

Levi moved about the kitchen, removing the now steaming kettle off of the stove.

"Do you want some tea?" He called out to Eren, pulling the younger from his thoughts. Eren's head quickly snapped over to where his name had been called and stumbled to produce an adequate answer.

"Uh, . . .Yes, please." Levi nodded and grabbed two black mugs from a cupboard up and off to the right of the stove. He made quick work of putting in the teabags and pouring in the hot water from the kettle.

"Sugar?" Eren turned around again to reply.

"Two tablespoons, please." After the tea's were made, Levi picked up both cups by the rims and started to walk out of the kitchen; stopping at the conjunction of space between the kitchen, living room, and hallway. Levi nodded his head towards the hall, signalling Eren to follow, and said man re-adjusted his backpack and hurried to catch up to Levi.

Once they were up the short hallway, Levi stopped at a door on the left, handed Eren the mug from his right hand, and proceeded to open the door he stood in front of. The second Eren got past the door frame he became overwhelmed by the room he had just entered. In the centre of the room was a gorgeous grand piano that looked as if it was brand new, while a violin case resided against the wall to the right of the large instrument. Off to the side of the room was a bookcase that held tons of music books, sheet music, and a few reference books that related to music; and in the far right corner sat a fully equipped computer with a proper recording mike and sheet music stand next to it. _Holy shit, this place is fucking amazing! I think I might have just died and went to music heaven!_ Eren's awed expression was not well concealed, but he was still in so much shock that he did not even notice Levi staring at him.

"If you're quite done _gawking_ , I would like to work on this project sometime today." Levi said blatantly. Eren snapped right out of his trance and stared begrudgingly down at the older male, who now sat at the piano.

"I was not gawking!" Eren stated. Levi seemed to have a more unpleasant demeanor from the back talk that was presented to him, but he did not counteract the statement, nor show any intention of doing so. Eren placed down his guitar case and backpack by the computer, and sat down in the roll-around chair that was stationed at the desk. He quickly opened up his backpack and dug through it to find the package; and once it was retrieved, he began to flip through it, getting a better idea of the assignment.

' _All students will be put into pairs at random; in these pairs you must select three songs over the course of this semester and prepare one for each showcase day. On these showcase days you shall be graded together as a duet for your overall performance, but your prep work that is to be handed in will be graded individually._

 _The songs that you choose must also meet these requirements:_

 _Little to no swearing  
Must be more than three minutes (but does not exceed five minutes)  
Instrumental parts must be according to your adaptation of the song  
If there is vocals involved in the song, it is required to include them into your adaptation  
If any of these are are disregarded or not met, The duet will ultimately receive a low mark for the performance portion of that showcase.'_

 _On the attached papers are:  
The dates for the showcases  
Due dates for prep work  
Marking rubric for performances  
Marking rubric for prep work  
Formats and requirements for prep work'_

Reading through the assignment now, It did not seem all that difficult. The only problem that seemed to come to mind was having to work with the elitist douche canoe. He was obviously not keen on having to work with another person, and he did not seem to want to work on this as a partnership, but more of an ' _overbearing dictatorship_ '. For literally anyone else, this may have been fine; however, Eren was not willing to go into this project and not have one say about what they will be performing. This was his mark that was only the line too!

Eren glanced back at Levi who was also looking at the assignment, while also sipping his tea that he held by the rim of the mug. It may be possible that all he needed to do is try and put in some ideas, and maybe, Levi would accept their partnership to a certain degree.

"Well, the assignment seems rather simple. It does say that we need to choose three songs, so what if we looked at- "

"Look brat,-" Levi interrupted. He carefully set down his mug next to him on the bench and closed his eyes. "This is not going to be a situation where we attempt to get along and form some sort of cooperation over this. I am not going to partner up with a snotty-nosed child who has no experience or class when it comes to music; so we are just going to arrange the set that I have organised, perform, and pass this assignment, Got it?"

Eren's demeanor had turned very angry over the course of Levi's dialog. He glared at the man sitting in front of him, as calm and as unconcerned as he was, and began to feel his temper rear it's ugly head back and growl like the beast it was becoming. It took all of the self-control that he had just to keep himself from going off on the guy! He was attempting to be as calm and as level headed as he could to be able to retort accordingly, eventually finding the proper word.

"No."

"Huh?" Levi slowly opened his eyes, turning to face the younger male. Did he really just say 'no' to me?

"I said, no."

"Is that so?" Eren looked Levi dead in the eyes and inhaled a quick breath. He was so ready to just let his anger out, and tell this guy exactly what he thought of him; but he knew better.

"I am not willing to go along with you completely taking over what is supposed to be our project. It is not just you who is being graded in this situation! It is also half my mark, and therefore half my work!"

Levi's eyebrows furrowed together, making his eyes become mere slits. It seemed as though Eren was making a fair argument against Levi's intention, but the ravenette showed no signs of conceding or backing down. If anything, he only became more annoyed and infuriated with the brunette.

"So you are suggesting that I also entrust part of my grade to the competence of a brat who is not experienced?"

Levi's cool and intense glare did not waver for a second as he stared directly into Eren's eyes; and Eren in retaliation glared back, though he did falter when he noticed the unspoken challenge that was set in Levi's eyes. _If nothing else, the guy has perfected the art of intimidation and irritation!_ He was daring Eren to argue against him, and was infuriated when it was taken up.

"I am suggesting no such thing! For starters, I am experienced; enough that I am in the music program to begin with. And second, I am not a brat! I'm probably not that much younger than you!" Eren was fuming with frustration. "All I want is to have some say in this project, and be able to put my input in where I can! That's it!"

Eren looked Levi in the eyes as his murderous gaze intensified, slightly fearing what he would do next. However, he was so fueled with rage that for a moment he didn't care, and feeled as though he could handle it.

Levi took a slow breath in and contemplated his next sentence. He did not appreciate this kids' rebellious attitude, and if this is what he is like on a regular basis, He wanted nothing much to do with him.

"I think it would be in your best interest to leave, now." Levi's words slightly surprised Eren, but at the same time relieved him. Swiftly Eren retrieved his backpack and guitar case from beside the computer desk and strode towards the door. As he slipped on his shoes, he chanced a look back at the living room to see Levi leaning on the wall in the kitchen, adjacent to the hallway.

Eren quickly turned away and ran out of the apartment and did not stop running until he reached the train station, where he waited in silence for his train to come.

He had expected that to go a little more smoother than their first introduction, but that did not seem to go according to plan. In his subconsciousness, Eren realized that he wanted it to go better. More for the purpose of him hoping that they would develop a relationship, not like that will happen anytime soon.

The train was practically empty, so the ride back was quite. Once at his shared dorm room door, he opened it as silently as possible and slipped inside without making a sound, and went straight to his room; fully prepared to go to sleep and attempt to forget the unwanted events of the day.

As he sat his bag and guitar case down, a pleasant thought entered his mind. _Maybe I can talk to about changing partners. Anyone would be better at this point!_ His mind was then made up on the subject; if Levi didn't want to work with him then he would try to find someone else who was willing to do so.

Eren quickly showered, changed, and crawled into his bed. He was dead set on switching partners. There was just no way, as far as he could see, that they would be able to succeed if they worked together. He eventually drifted off to sleep, ready to face tomorrow head-on.

* * *

The next day Eren rushed out of the dorm much earlier than usual, hoping to get a chance to talk to about a partner change, and left Armin to his own routine. He soon rushed across the quad of the college campus, and into the main building. After taking several turns down the winding hallways, Eren soon came to the room the used to be designated to his music department.

He opened the door and strode in, looking around only to find no where in the room. _Great! What am I gonna do now if I can't find him and get my partner switched before class?!_ For a moment he felt his anxiety on the rise of having to deal with Levi again today, but he suddenly remembered that was not the only teacher in this program.

Eren walked back out of the room and back up the hall to the classical music department room, all the while contemplating how he was going to approach the subject to . He seemed to like Levi, and held him with high regard, so trying to switch partners because he found him to be a complete and total asshat who is very disagreeable might cause a little unwanted tension. And on top of that, he doesn't even know this teacher that well, so not knowing how he will react is slightly nerve wracking.

He eventually made it to the room and stood outside the door, catching his breath and trying his best to calm himself. When he had some semblance of composure he gathered his courage, slowly opening the door.

Nothing could have shocked him more than who he saw on the other side of that door.

There Levi stood across from , and both looked up at him, seeming to be in the middle of a conversation. Seems as though he had the same idea as me . . ., Eren felt immense agitation from the sight of the shorter male who glared in return. Levi did intend on switching partners for a more agreeable brat, and had also suspected that Eren would have the same notion; though that did not detract any of the slight amount of surprise that he felt but did not show in his emotions.

"What are you doing here?!" Eren muttered.

"I could ask you the same thing, Brat." Levi watched as Eren growled at him with internal amusement. quietly cleared his throat, drawing the other two males' attention to himself.

"I take it you are Eren Jaeger." Eren nodded. "Well then, please join us."

Eren took in an inaudible gulp before slowly walking over to stand beside Levi, who stared at him a moment longer before returning his attention to the teacher in front of him.

"Levi and I were just discussing his request for a partner change for the both of you. What I would like to know, now that you are present, is what you have to say on this subject." Eren stared in the eyes, trying to form an adequate answer, as he and Levi waited patiently.

"I-. . . I came here with the intent of asking for a partner switch as well, Sir." ' stare intensified, while Eren hung his head down slightly so his bangs partially hid his eyes. "We have too different ideas on how we want to do this project, and I do not want to continue working with him."

Mr. Pixis gave a pointed look to Eren, and then to Levi. "I see. It seems that you are both quite set in your decisions then." The two nodded in response. Mr. Pixis closed his eyes and reached for a flask off to his right, unscrewing the top and taking a drink of the unknown liquid inside. The two awaited his answer patiently and were expectant when he finally put the top back on the flask, set it aside, and leaned closer to them.

"Then if this is what you two have decided then there is not much I can do to deny these requests. You are both adults and I trust you know what you are doing is for your benefit. However-" slowly reopened his eyes and met each of the two sets of eyes across from him in turn with a hard stare. "It is my duty to inform both of you of the situation you both will be put in, if in fact you still want to go through with this."

Eren stole a confused side glance at Levi, then quickly directing it to . They both nodded, signaling for him to continue.

"As of right now there are no other students who have requested for a partner change, thus making it more difficult to pair the both of you up with another. The alternative to that would be to have you both work individually.-" Eren and Levi both noticeably perked up at that.

"But doing this would also affect how and I will be marking you two." In that same instant, their new found happiness was lost.

"Since you two would be working alone, in order to make up for the cooperative performance and collaborative work marks, you would both need to prepare all the individual work as well as any parts of the write up that would have been broken up into segments for each partner."

For a moment this did not sink in with the two boys, and could see that the underlying meaning behind this was not computing.

"You will have to do twice the amount of work and still be expected to hand it in on time or you will not receive the mark for that part of the project." allowed a smile to ghost his lips for a moment when he saw their faces drop instantaneously.

That seemed to get their attention. Eren's mind raced over all the extra work he would have to put in on top of arranging his performances and maintaining his job.

Every scenario, strategy, and plan that he went over in his head; not one provided him with even the slightest amount of hope that he would be able to pass this project with a high mark which he needed desperately. And the same applied to Levi. He knew that it would be a lot of work, which he was willing to do; however, it would be difficult with his part time job.

Both boys glanced sideways at the other, and a small sneer passed over both their faces. However, they were soon interrupted by the sound of the door opening and stepping into the room.

"Morning Pixis, would you happen to know if . . . oh." finally noticed the other two persons in the room that were staring at him.

"What's this about? Why you both in here so early?" He walked over to the desk they were all seated at and set his messenger bag down at his feet.

"Eren and Levi came to talk about the possibility of their ability to switch partners." Pixis clarified. looked to the two younger males, more specifically Eren, with surprise.

"That's unusual. Eren you have never had a problem working with others before, even with Jean. Why do you want to switch partners?" Eren looked down at his hands in his lap and the back up to .

"I- . . . I feel that I would succeed better if I worked with someone else." took this into consideration and then looked over to .

"Well we don't have anyone to re-partner you two up with; so have you told them what they will have to in order to make up the work?" nodded while keeping his gaze trained on the two boys in front of him. drew his hand up to his head and rested it under his chin, closing his eyes momentarily. When he hummed and opened them again, Eren and Levi were waiting expectantly for what he had to say to them.

"If that's the case, I would like to know what you two have to say on this." Eren's gulp was very audible, and he looked to his left to see Levi deep in thought.

His conscience told him that given the choices before him, working with Levi would be his best option at this point. He could not balance his school work and a part time if it meant that the school work required more time. _I am just gonna have to bite the bullet on this one._ Eren took a deep breathe in and slowly exhaled.

"I am willing to work with Levi for this project, if it means we share the work equally." In his peripherals he could see Levi staring at him.

Even though this situation was unpleasant for him, he could not help the funny feeling that crept into his stomach as the ravenette stared him down. Whether it was because of his anxiety or the fact that despite everything he still found the guy attractive, he would never know.

Levi was a little taken aback by the boy beside him. He did not expect him to be willing to work with him considering how sure he was that he did not want to work with him. If he really considered it he knew that he should try to accommodate the brat. _It would be a real pain to keep arguing with him on every little detail._ And he had already considered that if he worked with Eren he would be able to manage his time better. So it looks like his mind was made up for him by circumstance.

"And you, Levi? What do you think?" Mr. Pixis asked him directly. Levi took a long breathe in and when he exhaled, look up and turned to look at Eren.

"I agree with Eren. I will work with him and we can split the work." For a moment Levi thought he saw Eren's eyes light up with something he could only assume was joy; but in that same moment, in was once again hidden in the depths of his cobalt green eyes.

"Well then that settles it. and I know both of you are very capable musical artists, so we expect great things from you both. And I personally cannot wait to see what you two produce for this project; and who knows, maybe in time you two will learn to get along." smiled at the two boys, as did . Levi and Eren nodded slowly in response.

The morning chime of the bell sounded in the building and the door open as a flood of students of the music department filed in. Both boys stood up from their seats and thanked the two teachers before they walked to the rise of seats. called out to the class as they walked in to sit with their partners, and everyone shuffled around attempting to do just that.

Levi took his usual seat, next to the large picturesque window, and Eren sat next to him. Lost in thought, Eren stared at his hands that were clasped in front of him, as the humdrum of chatter slowly became white noise.

It was hard to accept that Levi was so willing to work with him, but that may be due to the ultimatum that if he worked on his own it would be more difficult. That thought made Eren feel a little disappointed. He knows that he would like someone to work with him not out of convenience, but with mutual aspiration and passion for what they will be working on. And the thought that Levi will, and has, made accommodations for him in order for them to succeed in this project when he may dislike, or even hate working with him was upsetting to Eren. The project was very important for his grade, but it was also an exceptional project on it's own, that he wanted to enjoy. With Levi.

Eren was suddenly brought out of his regression into his brain by a voice that he knew was addressing him. And he knew it only to be Levi's.

"Oi, brat. If we are going to be working together I think we should try and forget yesterday and start over." Eren silently nodded.

Levi did feel regret for how he acted last night, but he would not voice it. That was just how he was. It was not often that he would offer up an apology, to anyone. Levi just held his hand up towards Eren, and watched as the younger looked confused at the gesture; but he soon understood, straightening his posture, taking the hand that was offered to him, and shaking Levi's hand.

Eren smiled at Levi in hopes of showing no ill will to the man before him. Though he was extremely glad that they were able to rectify their partnership situation, he was unsure about how this was going to work. _It may be easier, now that I know he is willing to work with me. But I wonder, . . . is there any chance of us walking away from this project and being friends at the least?!_

Eren stared directly into Levi's off blue, almost silver, eyes and saw something that he was not able to put a name to. Whatever it was, gave him a sense of surety and calmness that he had not experience from the man as of yet, and knew that Levi was trying to make this work. What Eren didn't realise was how much.

They both released the other's hand and payed attention to as he prattled on about what everyone was going to be doing today and some methods he suggested for the written assignments for the project.

And as Eren glanced over at Levi, who had his eyes glued to the front with a bored expression on his face, he was unaware of just how hard Levi was contemplating his partnership with Eren. _I will just have communicate with him more and we should be able to work through this project without that brat stepping on too many of my toes._ Levi internally snickered. _That ankle biter may prove to be a little more agreeable in time._

* * *

 **A/N: I am going to keep this short because I was not so brief at the begining of the chapter.**

 **I would like to make it clear that I will be writing the next chapter in my spare time and as often as I can, and hopefully I can finish it within a month; but I cannot garentee that. What I can garentee is after the third chapter has been posted it will be closer to summer vaction, and I will be able to write a lot more of the story, complete more chapters, and hopefully progress the story a lot farther.**

 **So on that note, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and please feel free to review.**

 **Sayonara! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello Everyone~!**

 **I am terribly sorry that it has taken me over a year to post another chapter.**

 **I have no excuse or list of reasons, I had just lost my motivation to write. Though I still love this story it may be a struggle to post frequently, so I cannot promise any regular updates;However, I would like to try my best to get as many chapters out as I can so I may finish at least one story and because some have showed interest in this story and my writing.**

 **Also, for all those who have commented and read this story thus far, I sincerely thank you for taking the time to do so.**

 **And now, on with the chapter!**

* * *

Eren rested his chin in his right palm and relented a heavy sigh as he sat at Levi's computer desk once again. _This silence is driving me insane! Does this guy have any mode other than quiet?!_ He started to repetitively click the end of his pen, which he did not do often, but right now he needed the noise. That lasted a good solid minute before Levi made his growing annoyance with the boy verbal.

"Would you fucking stop that?! Jesus, do you have a tick that I should know about, because that needs to stop!" Levi held his head and gave an exasperated sigh.

Eren in return gave a quiet groan, but nonetheless ceased his repetitive actions. They finally were able to work on friendlier terms, and he did not want to push Levi too far.

It had been two days since the two males agreed to work as a partnership; Levi had suggested that they try work at his place again, mostly because he had a piano, but it was still pretty tense. Neither was sure of the extent of their part in the collaboration they were supposed to be working on, so they both opted to start with the initial individual work before trying to work out their performance plan.

Though he was not finished the question in the individual work section for the first performance, it did not stop his mind from wandering to the endless supply of ideas he had for the actual showcase. _It would be really cool if we could try to rearrange a few covers into one of an old rock song! Or maybe we could take a classic song and put a modern twist to it . . .!_ Eren's mind floated off onto cloud nine, which meant he did not even notice when Levi directed his attention to the boy 'space cadeting it' over at his computer desk. Or when he continued to stare at him in his seemingly pleased outward expression.

For Levi, it was odd for him to take any amount of interest in anything but music, and especially not in people. However, this brat had a way of making him wonder every time he looked at his face what the annoying little shit was thinking, what he was feeling, and 'why the hell he was acting that way'! It was quite evident that he was willing to work hard, which Levi appreciated, and he did not come across as prideful or conceded. All things that Levi knew he could work with. That was one of the reasons why he decided to work with him, not only for the more manageable workload, but the possibility that it could be done with some efficiency given whom he had to work with.

As he stared at the younger boy longer, he had a slight feeling that it would not be so bad to work with him. And if nothing else, he would only have to endure for another three months at best, then he would not have to interact with the brat further. But if he wanted to reach that point, he needed to focus and work on the 'here and now'.

Levi cleared his throat in hopes that it would snap Eren out of his daze, but no such luck. He then decided it would be better to be verbal with this kid.

"Hey, brat." Eren jump a few inches where he sat, and turned to face Levi.

"Yeah?"

"We should start to work on our plan for the showcase performance. It is two weeks from now and we are going to need the time to practice." Levi's tone or stare never wavered in his even and collected state. Eren seemed to be a little flustered; his eyes wandering, cheeks reddened, as he searched for the right words to fill his response.

"Oh, yeah. Of course! So do you have any ideas on what we should do in regards to style?" Eren affixed his eyes to Levi's face, watching to see his reaction.

Levi rested his left arm under his right, and placed his chin on his thumb and index, closing his eyes and considering Eren's question.

"Well, if I am playing the piano and you play the role of guitar that gives fair room to come up with some sort of cover of a song." Eren noticeably perked.

"That's what I was thinking! We could also look into other covers and combine them somehow!" Eren became quickly enamoured with the thoughts that they were tossing around. Though Levi was a little more reserved, and was quick to point out something Eren had forgotten to consider.

"One problem, brat: we haven't agreed upon a song to perform." Eren paused for a moment, his brain seeming as though it was turning the newly found information around slowly, until it finally clicked into place.

"Ah-, . . . well, . . . was there any specific genres you would be opposed to?" Eren shifted his gaze down to the hardwood floor.

"No. But depending on the song or band I may be." Eren thought for a moment before reached into his pocket, drawing out his phone.

Levi watched him curiously as Eren tapped the touch screen furiously before he began scrolling for a substantial amount of time. His attention was solely on the small device in his hands as he searched for some unknown in it, only making humming noises every now and again in response to what was on the screen. He popped his head back up to look at Levi, rather quickly.

"How about something by an artist in the 70's?"

"By that do you mean 'something by any of the rock legends of that decade'? Eren nodded furiously.

"I am not so sold on that idea. Keep in mind that we need to make a duet out of it, and with only piano and guitar." Eren nodded again, but this time with less vigor, and then returned to scrolling through his phone.

It was at least two minutes before Eren popped his head back up to look at Levi.

"What about if we work with this song?" Eren turned his phone around and leaned forward, showing Levi what was on the display. Levi leaned in as well, squinting his eyes, and stared intently at the device. He hummed and then leaned back, as did Eren, and he pondered for a little while. When light grey eyes met with cobalt green once again he inhaled slowly through his nose and exhaled at the same pace out his mouth.

"I can work with that." Eren smiled brightly at the man before him and his growing excitement was very noticeable to Levi, who watch with a pleasant demeanor.

"All right! So, that means that we can look into other covers, or we can find the sheet music online, then . . . oh. OH SHIT!" Eren cried as he glanced at the time in the corner of his phone.

 _7:30, God dammit, I am gonna be so late for work!_ Levi looked at Eren as he flung himself from the roll around chair, quickly attempting to stuff his stuff into his backpack.

"What's wrong?" Eren did not stop as he tried his best to carefully put away the project package one of his binders.

"I have to get to work, and I am going to be late!" Levi looked upon the frazzled male with mild amusement, but was careful not to let it show.

"I see. Well, no matter; if you are free tomorrow we can pick up where we left off." Eren stopped momentarily to glance at Levi, he then smiled and nodded.

"Sure! Tomorrow is Saturday anyways. Perfect time to get some serious work done. What time?"

"Let's say around 11:00. That work for you?" Eren slung his now packed backpack over his right shoulder while he lifted his guitar case up by his left, and continued to his slight smile to Levi.

"Yeah! Sounds good." Levi walked over to the door and opened it to allow Eren to exit first. The two walked out into the hallway then on towards the front door. Eren quickly slid his worn sneakers onto his feet, opened the front door, and stopped in it's frame to look back at Levi who leaned against the wall.

"See ya tomorrow Levi!" Eren grinned and waved towards the older male, and received a non enthusiastic wave in return. With that, he turned and ran out of the apartment.

* * *

Eren panted heavily as he ran up the sidewalk towards the supermarket where he worked. _Shit, I can't be late again; I just can't!_ He pushed himself to run faster, but was still several blocks away from his destination.

After an eternity of running, and ten blocks later, Eren rounded into the _Trost Supermarket_ , rushing to the employees only door. But he was stopped short by a voice behind him.

"Eren Jaeger, You're late! _Again._ " Eren cringed inwardly and slowly turned to face the angry being behind him. Low and behold, his boss and manager, Nile Dok, stood fuming in front of him.

"I'm sorry, I was working on a project and I lost track of time. I promise it won't. . ." Eren did not get the chance to finish as Nile was quick to interrupt him.

"Don't even bother making false promises, Jaeger. You are fired! Now, go clean out your locker and beat it!" Eren was crestfallen, but he gritted his teeth to answer.

"Yes sir. I'll leave my uniform in your office." Nile scoffed and turned to walk away.

"See that you do."

He had shown up late one too many times, but not of his own choosing. Often it was because he missed the train and had to run, but it didn't change the fact that he was absolutely mortified by this new development in his situation. He needed that job; like really _needed_ it. He was an independent individual who was self sufficient. He needed to maintain a steady flow of income in order to pay for food, shared living space, utilities, and other expenses the school threw his way; and without that job, that income stopped entirely. The last thing he needed was for Mikasa and Armin trying to help him financially and attempt to coddle him.

Eren turned back to the employee area door and slowly trudged his way inside, making sure to close the door behind himself. _Great, what am I gonna do now?! I will have to start applying to places immediately! Well, . . . it's just one more thing that i've got to deal with. . . ,_ He walked up the stairs and passed the other employees who were on break to his locker in the middle of the line up. Quickly putting in his combo he took out the small amount of miscellaneous items and stuff them into his bag, after which he grabbed his uniform smock, t-shirt, and name tag, then slammed the light metal locker door shut. Walking to the other side of the room he entered a room behind a door with an opaque window and the words _Manager_ and _Nile Dok_ written in black font. Eren tossed the garment items on the desk that resided inside and quickly walked back out.

Once out of the supermarket, he began to make his way back to the train station slowly, intentionally giving himself time to think.

 _How is Mikasa going to react when she finds out I got fired from another job?_ Eren internally shuddered. _She'll probably give my face a concrete makeover, rearrange my bone structure, then lecture me for an hour or two. And Armin will probably freak out and insist to cover the rent and food money for both of us._ Eren sighed. He did not want to be a burden to his friends; he hate the idea in fact. For him, his anxiety of how he was affecting others and what others thought of him was almost always present in his mind. He did not want anyone to be troubled by him, so he did his best to be as independent as he possibly could, sometimes going the extra mile just to help everyone else out. It didn't always work out that way but he still made the effort.

What was always constant, even though he had being independent as his greatest priority, was that he never tried to push away his friends. He didn't always appreciate the habit of them trying to coddle him, but he could never bare the thought of losing them. It was probably one of his greatest fears, to be completely alone, and no matter how much he became agitated, angry, or depressed, he was never able to forsake his friends. He _**needed**_ them, more than they would ever know and more than he ever acknowledged.

Eren eventually turned the corner and walked onto the platform where he was to catch his train. Waiting there in the silence of the night was something that really reminded Eren that even though he had an imminent support system he felt as though the more he pushed his independence the more he felt like he was alone. He knew he had all of his friends there for him should the need arise, but it was like standing in a room full of people and you are in the corner, on your own. Eren thought about where all his friends are, and where they want to go. _They all have some goal in mind of what they want to do with their life; and I am still majoring in the course of 'undecidedness'!_ It was inevitable of what may happen in the future. All of Eren's friends had a plan for their years in college leading up to their graduation and eventual career paths, be Eren was just living for the next day and in the moment. Taking each day as it came and making it work. It was not ideal by most standards, but it was all he knew how to do at the moment. And because of that he knew that when the time came he would be left without a plan after college, while all his friends left to pursue their own lives.

Eren felt his mind swirl as his breathing became uneven as he drifted into a panic attack. _Oh no. No, not now, not here. Calm down, calm down._ Eren tried his best to breathe in and out but it was having little effect as his mind reeled back to the thought that landed him in that state in the first place. _They're all going to end up leaving. I may never get to see some of them again. Am I going to be . . ._ It was beginning to get too much for Eren. He looked around to see if there was anyone in the vicinity. _No one._ Eren's panic attack was full blown, and he found it hard to remain standing. So he shifted back until he came in close distance with a nearby bench, dropped his guitar case, and sat down, one arm wrapped around his stomach and the other clutched at his chest as black spots formed at the corner of his vision.

 _This is bad. I need to calm down! But I can't breathe. . . I can't breathe!_ Eren struggled to find a way to relax, and just as he was about to give up hope he remembered something that Armin and Mikasa had said to him after one of their band's performances.

 _At the Krolva Rose bar_

 _Eren and Armin hopped off the stage as the small crowd in the bar were applauding. The two walked over to Mikasa who was seated at the bar counter, sipping at some red mocktail. She smiled slightly as they came and sat on either side of her; Eren on her left and Armin on her right._

" _You guys were great, as usual." Armin gave a small laugh and Eren was trying to get the attention of the bartender._

" _Y'know Eren, you seemed particularly into the performance today. . ." Armin leaned forward to see Eren._

" _You think so?" He finally gave up on the bartender for a few moments to face his friends beside him._

" _Yeah, you seemed . . . content." Mikasa pitched in. Eren turned his head to the side in a questioning look. The other two just smiled and laughed a little at his expression._

" _What she means is you were in your zone. You looked like you were really enjoying yourself out there!" Armin assisted and Eren turned back to his mission to flag down the man behind the counter._

" _Not anymore than I usually do. I always enjoy playing."_

" _But it's not just that. Any time that you are around something musical or are listing to any music, you just seem to come alive. And sometimes, like today, you get really calm." Mikasa passed her drink over to Eren to finish as he was having no luck that evening with the bartender who would not stop chatting with the people on the other side of the damn bar. He gladly accepted and drank it in one swift gulp, rehydrating his dry throat._

" _That's right! You are always so much calmer with your music around!" The three all laughed out at Armin's exuberance._

Eren raised his gaze out onto the dark track that he sat in front of, still gasping for air. He slowly reached his hand into the right pocket of his jeans and pulled out his phone and earbuds. Putting one bud in each ear and the metal connector into the headphone jack of the small device, he brought up his music app and hit the first playlist his thumb came in contact with. With a moment's delay, the soft, sweet ring of a piano filled his ears and mind. _Nocturne Op.9 No.2 ._ Eren turned off his phone display, with the music still playing, and wrapped both arms around his abdomen while he hung his head down. The easy tempo of the piece was whisking his mind to happier thoughts of summer evenings and light days at the park with his family when he was a child. With every note it caressed him in an invisible blanket of warmth, and his breathing patterns became stable once again. Each movement brought him closer to a natural state of calm and relaxed until the song ended and he resurfaced from his trance.

Eren took a deep breathe through his nose and released it slowly, past his lips. _That's better._ The next song began and Eren was content to let it run its course. He leaned against the back of the bench, keeping his focus on his breathing, and allowed himself to be swept away by the music combined with the feeling of the cool night air and the earthy smells that somehow made it to his senses. In that time, he made the connection that what Mikasa and Armin had said about him being much calmer and more alive with his music had every essence of truth. The music was his source to showing emotions and redirecting bad thoughts. It sounded strange, but that was how he could best describe it. It was not anything physical; it was an emotional connection, and it was something he strongly relied on. _Maybe that's why I dislike the silence so much. . . , well. . . who knows._

Eren could feel the rumble of the train from under his feet and he slowly pried his eyes open, which had fallen closed at some point. He slowly heaved himself off of the bench, grabbed his guitar case, and made his way to the front of the platform on which to board the train. The bright headlight of the fast moving transportation began to grow in size until the large machine slowed at the edge of the station. The cars creaked along for a few more seconds before they came to a complete halt.

Eren walked to the nearest door painted in white with mint green accents and waited for it to slide open. Once all the doors on the train slide open, he stepped onto the train looking to his left to see one of the pass scanners there. He pulled out his wallet from his left pocket, opening to scan his pass. Finding an open seat near the door was not difficult, as there was maybe two or three other people on the train and they resided closer to the back of the car. So Eren quickly seated himself next to a window, placing his backpack and guitar case in the seat next to him, and leaned his forehead on the cold glass of the window.

He stared into the black void outside of his train car with a placid expression, as he was still lost to the world of music. The previous song had come to a close and a new one began, this time with not only piano, but accompanied by the melodic strains of a violin. His eardrums were graced with the perfect harmony that had a slightly sad tone that brought to mind the concept of tragedy and loss. Both things Eren was very familiar with.

The cry of the violin and the soft underlay of the piano spoke to him in a way that one could consider on a more spiritual level. He physically _felt_ every emotion that the two artists were conveying through the instruments; every heartache, every lonely moment, and every tear. It was something that spoke to the young man in a language that only he could understand, and with that it brought to light his own pain. _Don't cry! You are in public, and there is nothing to cry about. I have just had a bad day, and the music is very emotional. That's all!_ He knew that most of that was right, but he also knew that it was much deeper than that. The music was bringing to light memories that he would rather not reflect on right now, otherwise he would end up with _those_ dreams again, and that was one thing he did not need right now.

So Eren remained in his state the rest of the ride. He tuned out everything else, except for the music. It was the only thing that he focused on, and everything else turned into _static._ Eventually the train came to a jerked halt and Eren noticed that they were at his stop. He quickly jumped up, grabbing his things, scanned his pass again, and hurried off the train. The rest of the time he speed walked straight to the 'dorms', hurrying in and up the elevator, down the hall and only stopping once he reached the room he shared with Armin. He drew out his keys, opening the door, and carefully stepped inside. He hoped that Armin was either out or asleep because he did not have an explanation prepared for why he was back early.

To his luck, it seemed that he was correct on the former. Armin's shoes were not in the entry hallway, and once he reached the inside of their common living space, he found a sticky note on the wall by the kitchen. ' _Out with Connie and Sasha at Krolva's. Might be back late. Dinner is in the fridge.'_ Eren smiled slightly and took the sticky note down, pressing his foot down on the pedal of the garbage in the kitchen, he quickly disposed of it and went to his room to drop off his stuff. After which he went back into the kitchen to the fridge only to be greeted by a plate covered with aluminium foil. He removed the shiny sheet to reveal the pleasant sight of stir fry. Eren reheated the food in the microwave, grabbed a pair of chopsticks from a drawer nearby, and sat at the small table in the kitchen eating the slightly salty dish quietly.

After he was done eating, he washed the dishes and gathered some clothes and a towel to take a shower. Several minutes later, Eren finally had the luxury of crawling under the covers of his bed and drifting into a peaceful sleep. Or what he hoped would be a peaceful sleep. He did notice the thin stream of tears the flowed down from his eyes as he started to slip from consciousness. But by then it was too late.

* * *

It was happening all over again. Every gruesome detail, every painful feeling; it was all there. Eren did not want to go through this again. _They had stopped! So why now?_ He tried to get away from it any way that he thought he could. _Why must I see these again?!_ All of the emotions were too much, and they were dragging him down. Down to that place in which he did not want to return. _Help me. . . Someone, help me. Please. I don't want- . . ._ He could feel himself kicking and screaming as hard as he could, but nothing helped. No matter how hard he tried he could not find his way out. _Please. Mom. Dad. Zeke- . . ._

' _-en. Eren.'_

Eren felt something grab him and he fought harder. He cried, screamed, and kicked as hard as he could. But he started to notice a brightness in his sight.

"EREN!" Eren's reddened eyes flew open only to be met by the concerning image of his best friend grasping his shoulders tightly, and attempting to restrain his arms down.

He looked into the terrified eyes that belonged to Armin and instantly felt regret and ashamed. Eren slowly sat up and hugged his arms close to his body as he began to shake, tears continuously streaked down his already stained cheeks. He stayed like that for a while as Armin had shifted his position and now had his left arm wrapped around Eren's shoulders.

"It was _those_ dreams again, wasn't it?" Eren nodded weakly. Armin did not ask any further questions, he just gave Eren the chance to calm down. When he had stopped shaking, and was not crying so hard anymore, was when Armin got up, grabbed the box of tissues Eren kept on his nightstand, and held it in front of him. Eren looked at the box then looked at Armin.

"Thanks." Armin nodded slowly as Eren grabbed a few to wipe his face and nose. He then put the box back on the nightstand and faced Eren once again.

"Do you feel a little better now?" Eren pulled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, laying his chin on top.

"Kinda."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Eren shook his head. "You sure?" He looked Armin dead in the eyes.

"What is there that you haven't already heard?" Armin flinched at the cold tone that Eren's voice took on in that moment. He decided that it may be best to veer the conversation in a different direction to get his mind off of his night terrors.

"Well-, . . . at least it's Saturday. So you will have the time to rest and recuperate for the day!" Eren slowly closed his eyes and tilted his head down further and gave a small sigh.

"No, I can't. I have to go to Levi's today to work on our showcase performance. And speaking of which-. . . " He looked to his left to glance at the digital alarm clock there: it read _9:45_.

"-I have to be there in a little over an hour." Armin smiled and slowly stood up from Eren's bed.

"Well, you should probably get ready then. You wouldn't want to be late!" Eren flinched a little at that, remembering the events of last night and a few days ago. _Yeah, being late has gotten me in a lot more shit than I would have liked._

Armin started to walk out of the room as Eren heaved himself from the comfort of his bed, but just before he rounded the corner, Armin called back to Eren.

"Oh, and Eren. . ."

"Yeah?" Armin smiled a smug little grin.

"It's your turn to make breakfast." Eren rolled his eyes and gave an exasperated sigh in return. Armin laughed briefly before completely disappearing from Erens sight.

Eren trudged over to the door and closed it for a little privacy, after which he stood in front of his sufficiently large dresser beside the door and open a few drawers, drawing out a pair of denim jeans, which hugged all the right places in his opinion, a forest green t-shirt, and a fresh pair of boxers. He quickly changed out of the sweat pants and shirt he wore to bed and into his clean clothes, then raked his fingers through his hair to partially tame the bed head he currently possessed. When he was satisfied with his appearance, Eren walked out of his room and into the kitchen across the hall. Looking through the 'open window' space in the wall behind the table, he saw Armin sitting on the couch in the living room reading one of his novels or textbooks. Honestly they all looked the same to Eren, and he read them both willingly and often.

Eren grabbed the ingredients he needed from the fridge and various cupboards and set them on the table. _Alright, I could do pancakes from scratch and eggs and fruit. Wait, . . . we might also have some bacon left. . ._ He pondered over the best option for a quick breakfast for a few more minutes, finally settling on pancakes and fruit. He quickly got to work on preparing the pancake batter.

Saturdays were usually Eren's day to prepare meals, and since he was _so_ independent, he took it upon himself to learn how to cook proper meals. There also may have been a little persuasion involved for him to take a few cooking classes, courtesy of Mikasa, when they were in high school. His adoptive sister loved to coddle him, but she did insist upon him learning to feed himself; that was one thing she was set upon having him learn to do.

Eren finished up with the batter promptly and went to one of the bottom cupboards to pull out a small frying pan, setting it atop the stove. He put a small square of butter on the smooth black surface of the pan and turned the stove element to medium.

The butter began to turn into a yellowish liquid and spread further out in the frying pan. When it was completely melted and sizzling softly, Eren grabbed the bowl of batter from off the little table and pour a dollop onto the centre of the pan, letting it expand and the pancake over, his pride swelled slightly as it turned out to be a nice brown, almost gold, colour, and not burned.

Eren repeated this until the batter was completely gone and he had produced a good-sized stack of pancakes. Opening the fridge, he searched for the plastic clam of strawberries, and bag of peaches; finding them on the middle shelf, he retrieved them from the fridge and set on the small table, then moving around the kitchen to get a cutting board and knife.

Armin was comfortably enjoying his book on the couch and only looked up now and then to check on the progress Eren was making with breakfast; when he looked up again he caught a brief glimpse of Eren sitting himself and then the snap of a knife on a wooden surface became audible to the blonde. He smiled and slowly closed his book.

Armin walked into the kitchen and grabbed two plates, two forks, two knives, and two glasses. Setting all of the kitchenware one the small table, he grabbed an even amount of pancakes and put them on each plate, then took a small handful of the freshly cut strawberries that Eren had cut up, and spread them on the stacks.

Eren had just finished slicing the peaches into wedges and putting them on the plates of food Armin had organized, and cleared away the dishes into the sink, when Armin got out the orange juice from the fridge and filled each of their glasses.

The two sat at the table, eating in silence, and Armin took the chance to observe Eren's behaviour. _He doesn't look too positive today. He has always bounced back from his night terrors, but this is different. . . somehow._ He continued to stare at the brunette in front of him, noting his blank eyes that seemed to gazed past his plate and somewhere that Armin could not follow as he ate slowly. After several minutes of sullen silence, Armin decided it would be best to disturb Eren's trance.

He cleared his throat, and watched as the recognition floated back into Eren's eyes. Eren blinked rapidly and looked up at Armin. His expression was one of someone of slightly startled and confused. Armin finished the what was in his mouth and pushed his now empty plate forward, leaning back in his chair.

"So, . . . yours and Levi's project; how is that going for you two?" Eren stared a little longer and then put his attention back on his food.

"Well we are now able to work with one another." Eren took a large piece of pancake into his mouth, making it impossible for him to form a coherent sentence, in hopes that the small take might might die out between the two. But he knew it wouldn't. Armin had something else he wanted to bring up through conversation, and he was trying to ease him into it.

"That is good. You might even be able to get a really good grade on this assignment; what with you being good at guitar and Levi being a piano prodigy, you guys-"

Eren swallowed his food roughly and made quick intentions to stop Armin.

"What do you really want to talk about Armin? You and I both know it is not about the project." He stared intently at Armin waiting for his response, but he was still planning his next words carefully.

Armin looked down toward the edge of the table and let a slow sigh slip past his lips.

"I-. . . I just find it strange that after a whole year your night terrors have come back." He glanced up at Eren momentarily, "I mean it has even been a while since you-. . ." Armin jerked his head up and stared directly into Eren's eyes.

"Eren, . . . tell me honestly. Have you started cu-"

"No. I haven't. I swore to you and Mikasa that I had stopped that and I meant it." Armin seemed to be confused for a moment.

"Then . . . you had another anxiety attack, didn't you?" Eren looked down and pushed his plate that still contained a few pieces of dismembered pancake.

"Why? What happened?" Armin pried frantically. Eren simply drew out a steady sigh and allowed his head to hang further until it was almost resting on his chest.

"I don't really want to discuss this right now, Armin. I had a really bad day and it resulted in me having a panic attack, end of story." He took a moment to quickly glance at his best friend and saw the non-belief written all over his face. So he opted to feed him a little more assurance.

"It would be better if we just talk about this later. But for right now, I am okay, honestly." Eren reasoned.

Armin had paused before relenting an exasperated sigh. It was obvious that Eren would end up having to tell his friend that he lost his job sometime soon, but what would be the harm in leaving the subject alone for a little while while he attempted to find another one.

Getting up from his seat he cleared away his dishes from the table and stowed them away in the sink. Luckily they have a system of ' _one person makes the meal, the other cleans up the dishes'_ , so Eren if free to head out. He packed up his books and grabbed his guitar, walking into the little hallway to their door to put on his sneakers. As he went to open the door, Armin called out to him.

"Eren,- . . . Be safe." He said. Eren snickered inaudibly.

"Yes Mother!"

* * *

 **A/N: Please leave any feedback or comments on my story or chapters. It helps me as a writer to improve any mistakes I make, know what my readers think of the story, and how to improve the plot. I enjoy reading them and it gives great motivation.**

 **So thank you again for reading. Please comment, fav, or follow!**

 **Sayonara Minna! :)**


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